Still Recruiting
by Jasmine Venn
Summary: War is strange and Blaise Zabini is not entirely sure how to handle it. The Weasley girl certainly doesn't make it any easier. Blinny, set during DH.


A/N: A gift for DelusionalDoll as part of the HPFC July 2015 One-Shot Exchange. Many thanks to Coco96 for being a wonderful beta! The rating is for coarse language and adult themes, but I haven't written anything explicit (yet). Happy reading!

* * *

On most days, it was almost too easy to forget that Britain was at war.

School kept running almost without a glitch. Or so it seemed, at least, to the Slytherin students who now shared classes only with Ravenclaw. They could all tell that something had changed, of course – the Muggle Studies classes were proof enough. Snape's sudden appointment as Headmaster hadn't gone unnoticed either. Throughout the country the heavily censored Prophet proclaimed that former heroes were now criminals and vice versa. It all felt like a quiet but sudden shift, as if someone had turned reality inside out without batting an eye. It did not feel like war.

Blaise knew better. They all did, even if they chose not to talk or even think about it. He kept quiet and thanked Merlin that his mother's current husband was in You-Know-Who's good graces. He just hoped no one would look too closely into her past and tried his best to stay on top of his classes.

Sometimes, however, war confronts you and no matter how hard you try, you can't look the other way. More often than not this happens outside Alecto Carrow's office, where muffled screams seep through badly cast silencing charms. Or outside her brother's rooms instead, where there's nothing to soften the cries, sobs, and grunts coming from within. War was also in the face of Neville Longbottom, who proudly limps and carries unexplained bruises to the Gryffindor table at meal times with a head held high.

War was painted in angry scarlet letters on the wall opposite the library doors.

DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY, STILL RECRUITING

The sign hadn't been there when Blaise had entered the library to drop off a book two minutes earlier. It was almost curfew, and he hoped that the culprit wouldn't get caught so late in the evening. Few of the students who got disciplined overnight made it to breakfast the morning after.

On the first turn away from the corridor, he spotted Amycus Carrow pulling Ginevra Weasley by the hair. She was on her knees in front of him, and the cap of a spray can was peeking out of her pocket. Luckily, the wizard hadn't noticed it yet.

'Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Weasley, for being so far away from your tower this late at night,' he said. 'May I ask what brings you to this part of the castle?'

Blaise could see the indecision written all over her face. Part of her sought a confrontation, wanted to spit at the man and vent her anger. But she was also afraid of the consequences. Maybe if it was Alecto instead or if it wasn't so late at night, her decision would have been easier.

'Actually,' Blaise said, not quite believing his own ears, 'she had a little rendezvous with me. We got carried away, for which I apologise sincerely.'

For a moment, Carrow had trouble deciding how to respond. He eventually let go of the girl's hair, and Blaise let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. 'Well, boys will be boys, I suppose. Perhaps you should escort Miss Weasley to her dorm. We wouldn't want Alecto to accidentally punish her over a little indiscretion, would we?'

'Thank you, Professor. Have a good night.'

'You too, Zabini. Make sure you send my regards to your family next time you owl home.'

Blaise took the girl by the elbow. He meant for the gesture to be possessive, but it came out as rude; luckily, she had enough sense not to object right there and then. The two headed away from the library and towards Gryffindor tower in silence, with Blaise's arm wrapped around Ginny's waist in a fashion that was more than a little inappropriate in front of a member of school staff.

Less than a minute into their walk, he pressed her against a wall and leaned in to kiss her. This caught her by surprise, and she tried to push him away. He was stronger, but she shuffled enough to get hold of her wand and point it directly under his ribcage. At that point, she overheard Carrow's approaching steps, realised what Blaise was trying to do, and suddenly melted into him.

Their kiss was both tender and passionate and felt nothing like what Blaise had experienced before. He could feel her heart race and knew that so did his. He couldn't tell what caused it: the adrenaline or the sudden intimacy. Ginny's lips were soft, playful, and possessive against his. He almost reluctantly let go of them and moved his kisses down her jaw and neck. She responded with her entire body – the arms wrapped behind his neck tensed and her chest ground against him. A barely audible moan escaped her mouth. Blaise wondered briefly what it would be like to take her to bed.

At that moment the steps started once again, and the two realised that their little show had done more than just convince the Deputy Head that Blaise's claim was genuine. The older man had actually paused to watch them before making his way to wherever he was meant to patrol. The thought sickened them both, and their fake intimacy disappeared into the cold air.

They held hands the entire way to Gryffindor tower, which Blaise found both awkward and oddly comforting. Three times they overheard patrols in the distance and pulled each other into a quick tight hug, but they never ran into anybody.

Eventually, Ginny led them to a full-sized portrait of a woman clad in a pink silk dress.

'This is my stop,' she said, pointing towards the painting. 'Thank you.'

'That's okay. The Carrows go easy on me and Theo, so it's really no big deal.'

There was an awkward pause while Blaise mustered the courage to ask a question that had been on his mind for some time.

'So... I heard you're recruiting?'

Ginny gave him a hard, blazing look that he couldn't quite read. She then pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear so even the portrait couldn't hear her. 'You know the troll tapestry on the seventh floor? Tomorrow straight after dinner.'

She brushed her lips against his cheek and let go of him. The chaste kiss lingered on his skin – it, at least, was genuine.

* * *

The Slytherin common room was nearly empty by the time Blaise made his way back. Only Theo was there, bent over an already finished essay.

'Everything okay?' he asked, eyeing Blaise's slightly dishevelled robes.

'Yes, erm... you know the Weasley girl?'

'What about her?' Theo pushed the essay aside and looked at him questioningly. The two had recently grown a bit closer, but it was still rare that either one would approach the other with something personal to share.

'I pulled her out of a situation with Amycus Carrow. He caught her sneaking out, and I made it sound like we were meeting in secret.'

Theo sighed. 'And he believed you?'

'I think so,' Blaise said. He didn't want to go into details. 'But I'm worried he might change his mind.'

Theo ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ceiling. 'Fuck, Blaise. You've acted like an idiot chasing after skirts before, but Weasley? People still remember she used to be with Potter. As soon as Carrow opens his mouth to anyone, your little lie is out in the open.'

'What was I supposed to do?' Blaise started. 'Let him do Merlin knows what to her?'

'No, of course not. Let me think.' Theo paused for a second. 'We need to start a rumour that the two of you have been having a secret thing going on for a while now. I'll let it slip in front of Pansy tomorrow, and the whole school will know before the week is out. That way if Carrow mentions it to anyone, no one would question it.'

'And people will believe she moved on from Potter to me?' Blaise asked incredulously.

'She dated around a lot before Potter, from what I remember. We just need to remind everyone that little fact, and maybe even suggest that you got with her as early as last year.'

'I don't think she'd like that,' Blaise frowned.

'She'll appreciate being safe,' Theo said. 'Besides, we don't need to tell her anything. After all, this is a secret that I oh-so-unfortunately leaked. It would make sense if she denied it, and I'm not convinced she would make a very good actress.'

You are so wrong about that, Blaise thought but said nothing. The two of them soon headed towards their beds, each wondering what unpleasant surprise the following day would bring.

* * *

After a series of nightmares, most of which involved him being exposed as a liar and traitor, Blaise woke up early the next morning. He had no desire to go back to sleep and instead headed towards the Owlery. He'd decided to explain Theo's plan to Ginny early instead of waiting for their meeting later in the day. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing, and his friend's confidence didn't calm him down a bit. Theo was so quiet and asocial most of the time that Blaise found it difficult to trust his judgement of other people, even if they did prove to be correct more often than not.

After scribbling a quick note and wrapping it around his owl's leg, he made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Theo, who hated being around other people early in the morning almost as much as he hated Quidditch, was nowhere to be seen. Blaise found a seat by Draco Malfoy.

There was the usual breakfast banter across the table until one of the sixth years started talking about girls in general and redheads in particular. At that an unpleasant smile spread across Vincent Crabbe's face.

'Blaise, you've already been there, haven't you?' he asked.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Blaise responded and raised a brow. Pansy, who was also sitting nearby, winked at him playfully and blew him a kiss. When it came to gossip, the girl was a force of nature.

* * *

Across the hall, Ginny Weasley received a note from a haughty Ural owl. She didn't recognise the bird but could guess from whom the message was from. The penmanship surprised her; it was an elegant cursive, neater than her own and more elaborate than Hermione's. It spoke of a penchant for beauty and attention to detail. Perhaps not that surprising after all, Ginny thought. The note read:

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _A good friend recently started a rumour about our secret meetings. He saw no harm in it, and I hope you won't either._

 _I hope your day goes well._

 _B._

She passed the note to Neville, who was sat opposite her. He pushed his half-eaten slice of toast aside – he was having trouble stomaching food ever since his last detention. He read it twice before letting it burn in his palm. Several fourth years gasped at the wandless magic. Neville gave them a wink and with it a silent promise to teach them one day.

'What does that mean, exactly?' He turned to Ginny.

'I don't know,' she replied. 'But I have the feeling we'll find out soon enough.'

'Do you trust him?'

'I don't even know him.' Ginny tilted her head first to one side and then to the other. 'But we can always check if he's trustworthy, right?'

Neville nodded and tried to eat some more food. After two more bites, he gave up altogether.

'I have no idea who that "good friend" is,' he said. He'd become an expert of reading people out of necessity, and strangers worried him.

Ginny tried to remember her conversation with Blaise from the previous night.

'Do you know of anyone called Theo? That's the only name I can recall him mentioning.'

Neville scowled. 'There's a Theodore Nott in our year. Quiet guy, occasionally talks to Malfoy.'

'Nott as in...?' Ginny left the question unfinished. The two of them and Luna had somehow managed to go unnoticed in the aftermath of the Ministry break-in back in her fourth year. They weren't sure whether the Death Eaters at Hogwarts knew about their involvement at all. Someone surely remembered them, but their names weren't in the papers at the time. Snape, who was at the school when they'd come back, hadn't ratted them out yet, which meant he'd probably forgotten.

'Fuck. This is why Carrow just let us go. Zabini's friends with the Death Eaters.'

* * *

A/N: Do I continue with this story? I think I'd quite like to, but there's not much point if people aren't interested. Why don't you leave me a review and let me know what you think? Doesn't have to be long, even just a yay or nay would be very helpful! ~Jazz


End file.
